


Earth

by MusicBooksNoReality



Series: The Elements of Supernatural Women [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicBooksNoReality/pseuds/MusicBooksNoReality
Summary: Beta wanted.Cassidy King knew that life could be hard. Luckily, she didn't know for quite a while.Cassidy had always been different: from the age of five, her interest in boxing and guns had set her apart from most, including her family. It wasn't until she came home late one night and discovered her family murdered that Cassidy let her training and instinct come to surface, beheading the strange men and women that threatened to kill her too. With her heart broken and Hunting introduced to her through the strange Winchester Brothers, Cassidy steps up and decides to do what she was made for.





	1. Welcome and Beware

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small introduction to the plan of Earth.

Hello and Welcome to _Earth_ , the story of Cassidy King and her journey in the supernatural world that the Winchester brothers try to keep her from. This is a warning to readers, as sorry as I am to say it: This story is going to hurt.

Story writing is a complex art. Many know this and many will agree, but this story isn’t going to hurt just for 'the angst'. This story is going to hurt because it will be painfully realistic. There will be blood. There will be vivid descriptions of pain. There will be tears.

As a writer I enjoy my characters -- they are like children to me -- but that doesn’t mean that they are going to be perfect or reasonable or contained in a little box to protect them from the outside world. The reality of _Supernatural_ is scary. We don't see it anymore, we're no longer affected as we once were (Bloody Mary, anyone?), but the truth is that if it were made into a movie, it would be Rated R and would give children nightmares. I know that in _Supernatural_ what happens can also seem distant because it is a TV show. Because of budgeting, time management, production, TV ratings, not everything is shown. We don’t see the reality of Dean and Sam in their entirety. We don’t see all the hunts, the hours upon hours of research. We don’t see the scars that the makeup department can’t add every episode because Lord knows that the boys would be scarred to Hell and back, emotionally and physically. We don’t see the nights spent awake in agony because they failed to save someone on a hunt. We also don’t see what everyone else sees because we are biased.

This is not going to be the case for _Earth_. I am going to write the dirty details. I’m going to explore the things the show cannot due to the many reasons that they simply _can’t_.

The characters are presented to us as vulnerable and we have the dramatic irony of knowing things that the characters don’t in most cases. I’ve read a lot of fanfictions where the writer accidentally bleeds their knowledge into the story and that can leave plot holes and confusion. I will try my absolute best to avoid this, which means there will be misunderstandings. There will be long chapters of just being alone in the mind of Terra. There will be fights where someone is wrong and just refuses to apologize.

There will be gore. There will be loss. There will be pain.

And while this is repetitive, its because it's a warning. I am not kidding about what I’m saying.

Now that the warning section is over, let's discuss the story.

The start of every chapter will have specific warnings for it, depending on the needs. If you actually read this (I know that some people won't) just know that I am already planning scenes involving torture, rape and more. It is crucial people acknowledge the warnings because some of these chapters are going to be detailed and it could trigger someone. I hate myself for doing it but the things I do to these characters should probably get my head checked out.

Cassidy's story will start right after S10E8 Hibbing 911. It will take place about a week after and from then on, I'll be following the plot as well as adding my own cases. Cassidy is a child and will not be going on many cases because of it -- Dean and Sam may be idiots but they are not stupid. This will result in a lot of chapters being Cassidy helping the boys and gaining their trust. **This story is going to start off slow.** I cannot emphasize this enough.

Because I am adding a strong willed, independent, dynamic character, small details will change throughout the story. Dialogue will be different, interactions, situational stuff but nothing major is going to be different. Cassidy has a big part of the boys lives, yes, but her existing will not change the fate of the boys.

As of Jul.27.18, this story is being worked on. I am looking for a beta, so if you're interested please contact me. 

Thank you. And again, I’m sorry.

-MusicBooksNoReality (MBNR)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a work of fiction. I do not own the Supernatural Franchise or any other mentioned businesses/companies. I own all of my own original characters, [including (but not limited too) Cassidy King, Delilah Grace, Joan Knight, and Ellie] and plotlines. Any use of my characters or plotlines is unlawful and considered plagiarism unless you have written agreement to use such characters or plotlines. If there is no evidence of an agreement, you will be asked to remove your stolen property and to be considered an enemy of the author.


	2. prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a taste for what's to come

“You get one call.” The police officer offered. The man was pulling her arm tight, forcing Cassidy to follow him as he walked.

Cassidy scoffed, “You watch too many movies. That rule is fake.” Sam had told her when they discussed what should happen should she ever get arrested. ‘ _I_ _may have left from school but I still remember some things_ ’ he had said.

The officer scowled, “Still one call. Make it count.”

Cassidy sighed but relented. They arrived in front of a payphone ( _who still uses these?_ she thought to herself) and the officer released her before digging in his pocket for the quarter needed. He put it in and gestured for Cassidy to pick up the phone. She did so and dialed Sam’s number, biting her lip in worry.

“ _Hello?_ ” Sam’s voice rang.

“Sam!” The officer’s eyebrow went up slightly and Cassidy knew she had to be careful with her words. Their list of code words ran through her head and she made a quick decision.

“ _Cassidy? Where’s your phone? Are you okay?_ ” He was worried, his pitch high. The sound of Dean’s voice in the background brought tears to her eyes as he asked what had happened to her.

“Sam, you remember that boy Dean from Poughkeepsie?” Cassidy shot a look at the officer supervising the call. He was pretending to remain uninterested but she could read his tics. She was so very different from when she first met her boys.

Sam’s voice became sharp and concerned. “ _Cassidy?_ ”

“Tell him I’m sorry. Stay safe.” She didn’t let her voice crack as much as it wanted to.

“ _Cassidy!_ ” Sam knew what she was doing.

She hung up the phone, her cuffs rubbing awkwardly against her wrists, and wiped a stray tear from her face.

“Not planning for bail?” The man asked, curious.

“You’ll find out why when you get my prints.” Her voice was solemn and empty now, she knew that. Dealing with the police always put her on edge.

“Not your first time in jail?” He asked, his hand back on her upper arm pulling her away roughly.

“Never been.” She hissed out in pain.

The man shot her a look, “Then how are your prints in the system?” Because when she was in the sixth grade her class went on a field trip to a police station and she had been the volunteer to show how the system worked. Now her prints were in the system and she knew that her search warrant for the murder of her family was on there due to her running with Sam and Dean when vampires killed them.

Cassidy stayed silent, her face as blank of emotion as she could make it. The officer sighed and continued his escort to the cell block which had the stuff for mug shots and a cabinet and even a small computer system in the room. The man brought out the vat of black ink and the paper needed to identify her fingers. They spent several minutes getting both hands into the system and then taking her mug shots before he started his routine.

“Gonna do a quick search for your name, picture, and prints and then you’ll be placed in a cell for the night. Since you are a minor your legal guardians will be called --” Cassidy scoffed at the mention of her dead parents, bringing the man to stop his rehearsed spiel. “What? Did you run away? Wouldn’t be the first or the last, little girl.”

Cassidy hissed, “Call me that again and you’ll lose your fingers.”

His eyes went narrow, glaring at the teen. “Did you just threaten an officer?”

“I made a promise.” She spoke louder, leaning into his glare, “I just lost everything tonight, I don’t need to be insulted either.”

The officer made a face before taking a breath in and nodding. “You’re right. I apologize. But we caught you in a murder scene little miss and you claim to not have done it, but you’ve also made several comments that would suggest otherwise. What were you doing there?”

Cassidy smiled softly, “I don’t have to tell you, thankfully. I do know my rights after all.”

The man sighed again before resuming his speech, “Since you are a minor, your legal guardians will be called and informed of where you are and why you are here. If no one comes for you or answers in the next three days you will be handled over to Child Protective Services. You are now under investigation for a murder and should anything else pop up on your record -- tickets, warrants, etcetera -- you will be under investigation for those as well. Do you understand what will happen?” Cassidy nodded and the man returned it before placing her in her overnight cell and unlocking her handcuffs from the outside. “Be back in a moment.” He left the room and Cassidy sighed before sitting down on the small bed.

Tonight was going to be very long.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a work of fiction. I do not own the Supernatural Franchise or any other mentioned businesses/companies. I own all of my own original characters, [including (but not limited too) Cassidy King, Delilah Grace, Joan Knight, and Ellie] and plotlines. Any use of my characters or plotlines is unlawful and considered plagiarism unless you have written agreement to use such characters or plotlines. If there is no evidence of an agreement, you will be asked to remove your stolen property and to be considered an enemy of the author.


	3. i. weird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassidy begins to uncover her new life with loss and grief.

 

i. weird

Warnings: Mentions of bullying, use of strong language, mentions of prison, mentions of drugs/drug use (cocaine), graphic violence, murder, vomiting, mentions of murder of a child, talk of addiction, mention of suicidal thoughts, depression, unhealthy coping methods to grief (repression).

****

 

pt. one

With a satisfying _thump_ Cassidy was finally, officially, allowed to rest. School just released and it was now summer, three months of stress free environments. God, was she grateful for it too. No more failing classes or angry bullies or stress nightmares about missing work.

Finally some time to relax.

School was Hell for Cassidy. It was no secret that Cassidy was smart, her research papers and independent studies were immaculate, perfect in every regard, but often she struggled with numbers. Her failing math and science classes proved that much, at least this year. In the past she had understanding teachers, ones that would let her do papers on the required subject and help her understand how to do certain problems when encountered. Despite Ms. Rodum’s beliefs, Cassidy’s most recent math teacher, Cassidy did try to do the work, but the numbers were hard to look at and her brain short circuited every time she was confronted with a large page of equations. No matter her bargaining and pleading, Cassidy wasn’t allowed to do the papers she strived at and had to suffer through the long classes. It didn’t help that her request to do these papers and refusal to do her quizzes and tests left her at the mercy of mean peers, calling Cassidy stupid, retarded, idiot, dumbass. It was no surprise to her, having gone through the name calling since she started school. She never had any luck with making friends with bullies, but then again, who did?

“Cassidy, sweetie?” Katherine, Cassidy’s mom, shouted from downstairs.

“Yes mom?!” Cassidy called back, a small groan leaving her lips. She had just laid down on her bed, her bag on the floor still needing to be emptied and sorted into ‘keep for next year’ and ‘burn’.

“You have boxing in half an hour, don’t forget to pack your hand wraps!” Cassidy smiled. Unlike the girls at her school, who preferred soccer or cheerleading, Cassidy boxed.

She was introduced to the sport when her father was looking for a gym months before Cassidy turned five, hoping to lose the weight he had gained at his desk job. It wasn’t long into said search before he discovered _The Ring_.

He attended a few classes, losing the desired weight, and during his last one, he had to take Cassidy with him as Kathy was too sick to watch the little toddler. Within the first ten minutes Cassidy was hooked. She watched and studied her father and his trainer, watching the other boxers around her and from the moment she got home, all she did was talk about it and ask when she could go back.

After months of asking and pleading and begging, a much longer infatuation than anything else she had ever wanted, her parents relented and on her fifth birthday they surprised her with kid sized gloves and a promise to begin lessons, which she was still taking ten years later.

She loved the sport; almost as much as she loved to breath. She loved it because she had to, because it brought her life. The mental chess match, pushing muscles to their limits, the control of adrenaline in fights and spars… It was bliss. It was something she liked and she was good at it. It kept her strong and made her think -- and that’s what made her happy.

Cassidy smiled as she stood up and started to change from her jeans and t-shirt into her usual work out clothes. Quickly pulling her hair up, Cassidy looked at herself in the mirror. Pretty average -- brown hair, blue eyes. She wasn’t skinny, more chubby than anything due to genetics but she was strong and that’s what mattered.

A knock on her door had her smile. She opened it, and as expected, there stood Holden, her four year old brother. “Hey there Champ, come on in.” He walked in, his stuffed bear in his hands. Holden was a surprise baby, born when she was eleven. The age difference was extreme but they still loved each other very much and were very close. Cassidy helped raise him, she knew him inside and out.

“I have your wraps for you!” He handed the pale blue balls of cloth to Cassidy and she smiled and took them from his hands.

“Thank you Champ! Now, did you need anything?” This was their routine, every single day she had boxing (so most days).

Holden nodded, his blue eyes big and bright and happy. “I want a hug!”

Cassidy gasped quite loudly (making Holden giggle) and pretended to be offended. “A hug?! Only a hug? How dare you ask for a hug without a kiss! This is blasphemy, this is ruin, this is disrespect! I thought I had raised you better, my small champion, and this is how you treat me?” Cassidy threw her arms up and around and pretended to cry at the prospect of not receiving a hug and a kiss from her baby brother.

Small giggles reached her ears as he pulled on the edge of her shirt. “Cassi! I give you hugs and kisses, promise! I pinkie promise!”

Turning around Cassidy grabbed the hand offered to her, small finger out, and she wrapped her own around Holden’s. “I love you Champ.”

“I love you too Cassi.”

They released the hands and gave each other a quick hug and kiss and Holden left Cassidy’s room with a large smile and her heart grew just a little more with love.

****

Cassidy surveyed her room quickly, the door shut behind her brother, checking for her gym bag. The room was a pale blue with touches of white, green and yellow. Her bed was a twin, though her parents were talking about getting her a queen within the year. It had small trinkets everywhere, pictures of vacations with family, the odd crystals her mother would give her, birthday gifts from Sara, boxing memorabilia. She had a study desk against the wall that had papers strewn about, books piled to the sides, and a bad coffee stain on the white paint (which was her father’s fault). Under it was her gym bag, right where she left it. Taking it out of its hiding spot, she did a quick check of her bag, which contained her water bottle, hand wraps (both her new blue ones and a pair of black ones that were completely ruined), her boxing gloves, change of clothes, a towel, and a ton of hair ties. She grabbed her stuff, excited, and went downstairs, dropping her bag off by the door.

“Mom?” She called into the kitchen, “Do we have anymore travel deodorant?” She did a fast check under the sink in the half bath down the hall, where the travel toiletries were kept. It didn’t look like they had anymore and Cassidy was going to need some. It was Friday, which meant core work. And a lot of it.

“No, I was going to get some tomorrow! Besides, you know how much it stinks in there, you sweating like a dog won’t hurt anyone but Sara’s car.” Cassidy chuckled and went into the kitchen, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek, grabbing a slice of bell pepper from the cutting board and eating it. Her mom wasn’t that different from her, Cassidy noticed: brown hair, blue eyes, more chubby than skinny. They could be twins if Cassidy wasn’t fifteen and her mother wasn’t thirty-six.

“Any plans to get a job this summer?” Kathy asked, stirring the wok. Chinese food for dinner, one of Cassidy’s favorites. Now that school was over, Cassidy would need to start looking for jobs, if anyone hired under the age of sixteen.

“I was thinking about finally getting a job at the gym.”

Kathy sighed. “You spend way too much time there. First it was lessons, then volunteering, then teaching, now you want to get a job? I don’t think it’s healthy to be there that much. Besides you’re only fifteen.”

Cassidy heard this every other day, but still she combated. “With ten years experience under my belt. Mom, I know you worry about me, but Dave is like a second dad. You know that he won’t let me get hurt.” Her mother sighed again, so Cassidy leaned in and softened her tone. “Besides, I think it’s time to actually start getting paid. Those kid lessons, while fun, didn’t exactly go as planned. The male ego is so fragile, it’s annoying.” Cassidy shivered as she remembered the different dads and sons that wanted the lesson but not from a girl, let alone a teenager. The fit they threw… Dave swore to never let big headed pigs in like that again.

“I know darling. I was hoping you would broaden your horizons a little bit, maybe start at a martial arts place or even go to a gun range at this point. Just be back by 10:00? And let Sara know she needs to stop leaving her shoes here.” Cassidy nodded and grabbed another pepper before getting the well expected text from Sara saying that she was outside.

Sara Lovell was one of Cassidy’s best and only friends. Twenty-three years old and one of the only other female boxers, Cassidy latched onto Sara like a leech-- first bonding through boxing and then growing into best friends despite the eight year age difference.

When Cassidy first started at _The Ring_ , Sara was thirteen and like Cassidy, started young. She showed her the ropes, introduced her to everyone, taught her how to wrap her hands, punch, dodge, and it didn’t hurt that Sara was Dave’s daughter. Dave, the owner of _The Ring_ , was as enthusiastic of Cassidy learning as he was about Sara. Training them both, they quickly became excellent fighters and some of his best teachers. Every spare moment Cassidy had started going towards being at the gym she was practically raised in.

Cassidy sent a quick text saying that she was finishing up and would be out soon, if not, Sara could just come in. And that should needs to stop leaving her shoes here, per her mother’s request.

“That Sara?” Kathy asked. Cassidy nodded, looking up as she heard familiar footsteps.

“Dad!” John smiled at Cassidy and let her hug him. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.” John was a traveling worker if he wasn’t at the office. It was a price that had to be paid though, because of his work, the family often had more than enough money for things like vacations, which were a rarity due to scheduling, but always amazing.

John chuckled and let Cassidy pull away from him. “The deal was finished early with no casualties, so I was able to come back today. How was your last day of school?” Cassidy grimaced slightly, trying to hide it beneath a smile but her father noticed. He always did have a keen eye. “What happened?”

“Cassi, did something happen at school again?” Kathy asked from behind her.

Cassidy sighed, “No, nothing happened.”

“Cassidy,” her father warned, his voice sharp and intimidating. He would make a great cop.

“It’s no big deal, I was just called a name, okay? It’s not like anyone hurt me.”

John scowled, “No one should be saying anything about you. You are a King and an Eisel, if they knew…” he took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. “You can’t keep letting them talk about you Cassi. We don’t want you to let people like them effect you this way.”

“I’m not Dad! Besides, they never hurt me. If they did, you’d get a call about me breaking someone’s nose.”

John smiled with pride, “I know I would. I’m so proud of you sweetheart.”

Cassidy smiled and gave her father another hug. “I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Wishing a goodbye to her mom and waving to Holden, Cassidy made sure she had her keys before she exited the house and made her way to the familiar blue Toyota she had a hand in picking and gifting to her friend.

“Hey Sara!” Cassidy said as she got into the car.

The blonde smiled, “Hi there Cassidy! You ready for the ultimate core workout? I planned it myself.” Sara worked at the gym part time and went to college the other half. She mostly taught advanced classes, for people with more than four or so years of experience.

“Oh great,” Cassidy said smiling, “I’m _so_ excited.” Sara laughed and she pulled away from the house.

It was going to be a good day.

****

Arriving at the gym took no time at all, Sara talking to Cassidy about her new boyfriend Josh the whole way there. He was cute, silly, smart, everything Sara could hope for. They had recently gone on their third date when Sara dropped the ‘boxing bomb’ on him. The hobby had cost Sara a few relationships in the past, so she tended to see if a guy was worth it before talking about her lifestyle. But luckily Josh had no problem with it and on their seventh or eighth date mentioned he wanted to see what it was about, which meant Cassidy was going to meet her best friend’s boyfriend for the first time in a long time.

“He should be meeting us here,” Sara spoke, pulling into parking. “I’m really excited for you to meet him. I wonder if he’ll do the thing.” Sara’s green eyes sparkled at the thought of Josh meeting Cassidy.

Cassidy chuckled, unlocking her door as the car parked. “If he does, then you should invite him to your class.” Sara laughed at the response.

“I like the way you think. I might just keep you.”

Cassidy stuck out her tongue as she closed her door and headed to the familiar doors of _The Ring_. Her home away from home.

Cassidy walked up to the reception desk where Dom was sitting. Dom was one of the many trainers that worked at _The Ring_ and one of the few that Cassidy considered a best friend. It was odd from the outside, the forty-seven year old and fifteen year old being such good friends that they often went out for lunch but they were family.

“Hello sir?” Cassidy asked in a nasal voice, making Dom look up from the computer, a smile on his face. “Sir, I was told this was a jewelry store. Where are all the necklaces? I need to get something for my daughter see, and it has to be pure gold, not gold plating. You understand, sir, as you work in a jewelry store.” Dom laughed, Sara walking behind him and putting her bag away in the teacher’s cubbie behind the counter. The joke was a familiar one around the gym, when one day a woman had walked in thinking it was a jewelry store.

“Hey there Bunny. School over?” Dom was considered one of the toughest looking men in the neighborhood, which wasn’t inaccurate. He was sent to prison for possession of crack cocaine and the usage of crack cocaine when he was in his twenties and didn’t get out until he was in his thirties. Dom grew up in a bad neighborhood but during his time he reformed. He got out and joined a biker gang, where he mostly traveled the US. He was heavily tattooed and had a thick beard and was burly, but despite appearances he was sweeter than sugar.

Cassidy nodded, “Finally. You know where Dave is? I need to ask if I can get an official job. It’s about time I’m paid for all the work I do here.” Cassidy handed her bag to Sara over the counter, who took out all the necessary stuff before stuffing it down in the cubbie.

Dom nodded, “He’s in class. About to be out though. You two waiting for someone? You usually head in soon as possible.”

Sara put her hands on his shoulders. “What, we can’t talk to our favorite ex-biker?” For added effect she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She always considered Dom to be an uncle.

“No, you can’t,” he waved her off and took the hand wraps from the counter and handed the familiar blue ones to Cassidy and kept Sara’s pink ones out of reach as she jumped to grab them.

“No fair! Cassi-bun has always been your favorite!” She jumped to reach the pink bundles from the man, all the while Cassidy laughed.

“Damn right,” Dom said, finally handing Sara her hand wraps. “She does nothing bad. She’s the angel of the family.”

Sara pouted, “And what am I?”

“The devil.”

Sara smacked the back of Dom’s head, running into the break room to get away from his retaliation.

Cassidy smiled and began wrapping her hands. “Her boyfriend is joining us today. And if he does the thing, he’s joining our class.”

Dom tutted and shook his head, “You’re going to kill him. Everyone does it.”

Cassidy smiled as the bell rang, “That’s why we’re doing it.” She turned and saw a nervous looking boy walk in, wearing basketball shorts and a loose grey t-shirt.

“You Josh?” Cassidy asked, leaning back against the desk.

“Yeah…? Do you know where Sara Lovell is by chance?” He reached behind his head and rubbed his neck, obviously nervous.

Cassidy smiled. “Yeah, one moment. Dom, please check in Josh, I’ll get Sara.” Dom nodded and Cassidy walked behind the counter heading into the break room, where Sara was finishing up putting on her wraps.

“Dom still want to kill me?” She asked, looking up at her friend. Cassidy shook her head and waved for Sara to follow.

“She’ll be right out,” Cassidy spoke to the intimidated Josh. Dom was having fun with this, Cassidy noticed.

Josh nodded and Cassidy grabbed her gloves from the counter, nodding to Dom. There was a small silence before Josh broke it, looking at Cassidy. “So… how do you know Sara?”

Cassidy sent a small smirk to Dom, who shook his head. “I’m her best friend. Cassidy.” She extended her hand and Josh shook it.

“I thought you’d be older. Do you really teach here?” Sara screamed and everyone jumped, looking at the girl.

“Guess who’s joining us in class today!”

Cassidy shook her head and excused herself to find Dave.

The gym had 5 sections, the ring (used for spars, mostly), the machines (which was fairly new), the bags (where Cassidy spent most of her time), an open space for classes (where she spent most of her training) and a break spot, which was moderately filled for a Friday. Cassidy waved to the people she knew and walked over to the open space, filled with men all cooling down and stretching away the pain. They were covered in sweat, dripping in it, but had smiles on their faces and were chatting amongst themselves, Dave moving between them. Cassidy smiled and sent out a loud whistle, catching the attention of the class who all smiled and waved at the teen. This is where she belonged.

“Hey there Bunny, ready for Sara’s class?” She nodded and Dave sent her a smile. Dave was a tall man, bald and walking with a limp from a recent injury. He was once a competitive fighter and during his last fight something happened and he fell, his meniscus messed up. He can no longer fight and has recently only just got back into teaching.

“I actually came to officially ask if I can get paid for my time here,” Cassidy smiled widely and Dave laughed.

“Of course you can! I’ll add you to the schedule. These boys can finish up. Come on,” he waved her to the office, one of the few rooms that went mostly unused. This place was far too active to be sitting around in an office.

Dave sat in his chair and Cassidy sat across from him. “I knew this was coming, just didn’t know when, so I already have a couple of ideas for you. You can work part time or full time. But because of your age, you can’t legally work full time, so you’d have to be paid under the table, but you’d still be paid the same. I have a feeling you’d like to work full time?” He shot her a look and Cassidy nodded sheepishly, knowing how predictable she was. “Good,” Dave laughed, “Because I already worked out payment and class times and schedules. I talked to Sara about it and she suggested a few joint classes at first, but since most of the guys here know you, we figured it’d be good for you and them to talk it out.”

Cassidy and Dave talked for a few more moments before she signed the contract he drew up and they were off.

****

The class went as expected, Sara leading the charge of eighteen people, including her boyfriend and best friend, who outpaced Josh easily. The work was grueling, as was expected, but it was something Cassidy needed on a basic level. She’d been doing this so long it was ingrained into her very being, pulling her away from her family and into the confines of a gym whenever she was frustrated or needed to think. Cassidy had always been smart -- she knew this well -- but the instinctual need to beat something up whenever she was stressed had started to worry both her family and herself to a degree. She was too reliant on it, she knew that, and an addiction is often something that most people can’t live without, not without consequences.

Cassidy knew she was lucky to have an understanding family, one that rarely fought, one that sat down and talked about their issues before something worse came from it. Cassidy’s parents understood how important communication was as both of them had suffered from horrible childhoods. Katherine, Cassidy’s mother, was raised on the road with no place to call home in a cult like family. If she did anything wrong, she’d be hurt for it. John, Cassidy’s father, lived in a similar life, but his father was abusive. They both had crazy scars to match the stories, nightmares that woke the whole house, and officially were diagnosed with PTSD a few years ago. They went to therapy often, still recovering, and had decided to share these horrible stories with her and her brother saying that one day they would understand why they had such horrible scars and nightmares. ‘ _It’s important to be honest. It builds trust. And we want you to trust us._ ’ They always made sure to mention that whenever she asked them why they told such honest stories, ones that left Cassidy in tears and awe at her parent’s strength. They talked about it so easily, as if it was a sunny day and they were on a picnic, not what she knew victims should act like. Everyone coped differently though, and that is how they knew that Cassidy’s release of emotion in the form of violence was good for her, as it was all she really knew. It wasn’t as if she was actively hurting anyone, she was getting exercise, and it genuinely helped Cassidy move on from the situation with a better understanding. It helped her learn to control her emotions (fighting based on emotion always made for sloppy fighting) and helped her learn to control her body. She was quick, both in thinking and in movements. Her reflexes have improved, her mind a strategic battlefield of information now.

Boxing took over Cassidy’s life.

****

“Oh -- my -- God…” Josh wheezed out, sitting down on the mat, dripping sweat like he was showering in it. Cassidy handed him a water bottle, panting herself, and sat next to him. She was sweaty but wasn’t soaking in it like she thought she would be.

“So how was boxing?” Cassidy asked cheekily, a small smile on her face. Josh downed the whole water bottle before answering, wiping his forehead.

“It was hard. Very hard. I don’t know how you girls do it.”

Cassidy laughed, her core aching from the movements. “Experience. It was not as bad as I thought it would be though. Sara must have been going easy for your first time.” Josh groaned and laid on the mat, his shirt sticking to his body, no longer a light gray due to sweat.

“You two are crazy.”

Sara approached them, sweating herself, and kneeled next to Josh and Cassidy, repeating Cassidy’s first question and getting the same answer.

“You should be grateful, I went easy on you guys today. If I stuck to my original plan Cassidy would be like you are now and you would be dead.” Sara smiled as she spoke, her whole body relaxed with the endorphins and exercise.

Cassidy giggled, a little involuntarily due to the happy chemicals in her brain. “I knew you were going easy. I’ve seen you make men puke from your classes.” Sara returned the giggle before kissing Josh and moving onto the other men in the class, talking to them about different classes and competitions.

“If you survived that,” Cassidy spoke, “then you’re good in my books.”

Josh smiled at her before grabbing another water bottle offered to him by Hank, one of the older members of Sara’s class.

   

Cassidy knew that it was going to be a good day.

Until it wasn’t anymore.

It was close to 10:00 when Sara pulled up to drop Cassidy off. It was dark out and both were still sweaty and exhausted. They had helped close up the gym and decided to spar for a while before they finished up. “Thanks Sara,” Cassidy said. “Tell your dad I said thank you again.”

“It’s no worries girl. Now that summer’s started you can finally start working full time. Remember what dad said though, all under the table. You can’t work full time legally. I’ll be here by 6:00 tomorrow so that you can open. Love you. Sleep well!”

“Bye! Love you!” Cassidy waved and Sara left. She pulled out her keys, about to unlock the door when she noticed it was ajar, all the lights turned off inside. _That’s not suspicious…_ Cassidy thought softly. _There have been a few disappearances and murders in town lately…_ She didn’t want to finish the rest of it.

Cassidy felt the adrenaline rush through her, familiar with it pulsing through her veins. In someone untrained with it, they would be shaking, panicking, movements sloppy in a fight or flight situation, but Cassidy wasn’t untrained to start shaking with anticipation. Quick as she could, she opened the door, stepping inside and listening for anything in the oddly silent house.

She walked slowly inside, sticking close to the walls, making sure her back was secure. Listening for any movement, she heard faint laughter and talking upstairs. Fear raced through her. It wasn’t her brother or her parents.

Cassidy crept into the kitchen, fast as she dared, and grabbed a chopping knife from the knife block. She dropped her gym bag as soft as she could, knowing it would only slow her down if she needed to run. Cassidy took a moment, listening to the strangers laugh and chat, trying to calm herself. Her breath was fast, her heart racing: she was terrified, but she knew that letting her anxiety and adrenaline control her wouldn’t help. _Its like boxing,_ she kept reminding herself. _Just like boxing. Put your head on straight, pay attention to your surroundings, pay attention to your opponent. You’re going to be okay._

She was still scared. In boxing, opponent’s just want to knock her down. These intruders, they might want her life.   

****

Cassidy took several minutes to walk to the stairs, listening for anything that would help her. It sounded like there were two women and a man, but their words were too squished together for her to really hear anything. Cassidy took their laughing as a chance and began walking up the stairs, knife held at the ready.

A creak in the steps sounded beneath Cassidy’s footfalls, the sound like thunder, ripping the silence apart. She knew they heard it, silence falling upstairs. Cassidy ran down the stairs, not wasting a moment. She turned into the kitchen and turned on the lights, knowing that she would be safer in a territory she knew and chose rather than on the stairs. And suddenly someone was in front of her, baring bloody teeth. On instinct she ripped the knife through the air and into the damn thing’s neck, using all of her might to rip it through.

Surprising herself, the knife slid through them like butter. The body dropped and it took a moment for Cassidy to realize blood splattered all over her. Her knees went weak, her body almost falling to the ground for a split second. She just killed someone. The thought wanted to make her puke, her body already sending up fluids into her mouth, but there was no time. A second body appeared, Cassidy trying to stay on her feet as it attacked her, long claws attempting to get to her throat. Cassidy dropped, ducking with muscle memory. She stood again and thrust the knife into the woman’s stomach, hoping to kill her, but all it did was make the woman scream in anger. She ripped the knife out and barred needle-like teeth, Cassidy screaming as she felt scratches on her face. The creature, whatever it was, moved faster than Cassidy could comprehend.

Thinking quickly, when the woman raised her arm again, Cassidy ducked under it, moving to the brunette’s back. She pulled the knife out of the woman’s hand as she turned and then wasted no time to behead her as well. Her body moved with both the practiced ease of boxing and the unfamiliarity of prey survival -- she _was_ being hunted.   

Cautiously, Cassidy walked over the second dead body, both killed by her hands. The urge to puke sat in her stomach for a moment before she moved on, walking into the dining room. With no warning, she found herself landing in the wall then onto the floor, her back kicked by an unnatural force. Cassidy whimpered as she moved, a face coming into view. It was the man. He grabbed her by her collar and picked her up, her feet dangling under her. She made a hard choice, wondering if it would work, and picked up her legs, wrapping them around his arm, and using as much force as she could to make him drop her. It wasn’t hard, surprisingly. He dropped her, her legs releasing his arm as she fell, her back hitting the floor with a hard _thump_. She was going to feel that for weeks.

He came at her again, hissing in anger. Cassidy twisted her head and tried to find her only item of self defense. He kicked her in the side, Cassidy groaning as she felt her side bruise almost immediately. She was grateful that he didn’t make contact with her ribs. She reached her arm out, trying to find the knife, trying to find anything, when she made contact with smooth metal. Reaching as fast as she could, she grabbed the knife and allowed the man to come as close as she dared, before she cut off his head, drowning herself in blood, his body falling on her.

A few moments to catch her breath and listen for anymore people later, Cassidy allowed herself to cry. The heavy weight of a body still sat on her, headless and bleeding, she allowed herself to sob and whimper and blubber before she reminded herself that she needed to check on her family. With great effort, her body exhausted, Cassidy pushed the man off of her, rolled onto her side and began to heave up stomach bile, water, and the few snacks she had at the gym. After emptying her stomach, she heaved a few times more, her body trying to egress everything.

Tears fell out of her eyes as she sobbed, her body sore and bruising, cuts on her face and arms. Using the chairs from the table, Cassidy stood shakily, feeling nauseous as she moved. “Come on Cassi,” she whispered to herself, “stop being a baby. Mom and Dad made it through worse. You can do this. C’mon!” She pep-talked her way to the stairs, blood dripping down her front. She moved from wall to wall, leaning and supporting herself to the next obstacle. She took what felt like years to climb the stairs, occasionally heaving nothing over the railing.

She reached the upstairs, crying in pain and worry over her family. It was only hours ago she saw her Dad, hugging him as he came home early. Was it really hours ago? It felt like decades.

The house was empty of lights, save the one on in the kitchen, the moonless night evident as she fumbled around for the light switch as she entered the familiar room. She prayed that her family decided to go for a drive or to the movies, something, anything for them to be out of the house, but when she flicked the switch, she knew it was too good to be true.

Cassidy’s whole life flashed before her eyes. She could feel the hug her mother gave her on her first day of school, she could smell the cookies her and her father made for Christmas, she could smell the antiseptic in the hospital as she held her baby brother for the first time. But that was all gone. A click of a light, and Cassidy’s whole life ended. Never again would she feel her mother kiss her on the cheek. Never again would she wrap her father in her arms. Never again would her brother tug at her shirt.

They were dead. That much was obvious. They were all in their pajamas, dead in her parent’s room. They were covered in blood, their own to Cassidy’s horror. Their arms were laying in such awkward angles, heads lolled to the side, holes in their necks. She moved, slowly, across the carpet floor, her legs almost falling beneath her with every step. She made it to the closest body, Holden’s, and finally collapsed, sobs violently ripping her apart. She pulled his body close to hers, his head in her lap. Her chest, it felt like someone had actually taken a rusty knife and just ripped her heart out of her chest and into shreds. The ugly, gaping hole it left was dark and all consuming. She sobbed, loud, blubbering, heartbroken sobs. Cassidy knew that this pain was absolutely the worst thing that had ever happened to her. She would rather drown a thousand times, fight a million fights than ever feel that way ever again.

A slam of the door opening downstairs took her attention away from her family. She quieted herself in fear, holding her breath even, waiting for something.

“Dean…“ a voice sounded. It was a man’s voice.

“I see it Sam.” Another.

“Was it another Hunter?”

“Jesus there’s more in the kitchen! What the fuck happened here?”

Cassidy tried to stand, for what, she didn’t know, but never got the chance. Her body failed, exhausted and deprived, she fell to the ground. It was no surprise they heard, silence ringing throughout the house. Not even footsteps sounded until the creaky step sounded, the same one Cassidy had fallen victim to. She crawled to the wall and turned off the light in the room, standing unsteadily against the wall. A flashlight blinded her and Cassidy stared behind it, looking for the men on the other side.

“If you’re going to kill me, please,” a sob hiccupped in her throat, “make it quick.”

“Jesus Christ. Sammy, you seeing this?”

“I see it Dean.”

The flashlights clicked off and Cassidy flicked the main lights on again, taking note that they weren’t attacking her. Yet. Cassidy gave them a once over, knowing that if she was in her right mind, would make three deductions about them. One, they were far more intimidating than Dom ever was, standing over six feet, machetes in hand, ready for battle. They held swords in hand and the shorter of the two held a gun at the ready. They were dressed in simple clothing, canvas jackets, but she could just tell they were muscled. Not in a purely attractive way either, these men held themselves like warriors, soldiers. They were muscled because they had to be. Which led into two, they were the good guys, and damn was Cassidy glad of it. She could see in their eyes that they had seen Hell. Her mother used to say ‘a man who's seen Hell either deserved it or learned from it’. Cassidy had a feeling they were both. And three, Cassidy wasn’t supposed to be alive. And were she sane, she would have agreed with it. But she wasn’t in her right mind, and all she saw was more people, people that could hurt her.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” the taller one said, one hand out cautiously, like he was approaching a rabid dog.

Cassidy bit back a sad laugh, finding some sort of weird irony in the statement. “No duh,” she wanted to say, “I just killed three people who were though.” Cassidy let another sob escape instead, releasing a tidal wave of tears, her legs weak, before she fell onto the pink carpet and sobbed even harder.

The carpet was supposed to be white.

****

The cry left Cassidy feeling empty but oddly calm. As soon as she calmed down enough to be moved, the taller of the two men picked her up and moved her to one of the other rooms in the house, which was thankfully hers. When she was able to speak, Cassidy asked the men two questions, who were they, why were they there.

They introduced themselves as Sam and Dean Winchester. They were monster Hunters, which yes, was a real job, and she killed three vampires. All by herself. With no training. Which was technically impossible because there was only one way to kill a vampire and they have been Hunting their whole lives, while she has not.

“Unless you are extremely lucky or a secret Hunter or whatever, you should not have been able to survive tonight.” The shorter one, Dean, said.

Cassidy shrugged, “Guess I’m lucky then. I’ve boxed for almost ten years now, but I still killed those… vampires. And nothing really prepares someone for that, so I’m going to go with lucky.”

Sam spoke up, the taller one, “We never got your name.”

“Cassandra. But I go by Cassidy. I’m fifteen and…” She choked up again.

Sam rubbed her aching back, “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Listen,” Cassidy said, voice hoarse, “It’s midnight and I have been up for almost twenty-four hours now. I am covered in blood and monsters exist. So I’m going to go shower and change, and you guys go clean up the… the bodies and the house. Deal? I think I’m owed that much.”

Sam smiled sadly and nodded, helping her stand from the edge of her bed. He walked her into her bathroom and turned on the shower, leaving her to shower in peace.

Slowly stripping off blood covered clothes while being covered in bruises was nothing Cassidy wanted to do ever again, nor did she want to ever do it in the first place, but she needed to shower and she wasn’t going to do that with clothes on. It took almost fifteen minutes to do it, but eventually Cassidy stepped into the shower and allowed the water to hit her back with a steady pace. The night was going to be very long at the pace it was going.

It felt like twenty minutes, but Cassidy knew she had been sitting in the shower for longer, warm water now running cold over her head. Usually she hated having water in her face, a remain of when she almost drowned when she was younger, but now she just sat under the waterfall and let it wash over her. The water stopped turning pink a while ago, running clear into the drain. And somehow she still felt the sticky, heavy, metallic -- she took in a deep breath, standing shakily, washing her hair one more time for good measure before stepping out of the shower. Cassidy took a breath as she surveyed her bathroom, a simple grey and white color scheme, ordinary in all ways. The clothes she had been wearing were sitting in the trash, not even worth the hassle of keeping, blood on the bathroom floor. Quickly, she turned her eyes away and walked into her room, her school bag still on the floor, heavy with papers that needed sorting. Cassidy could feel the tears prick her eyes, remembering this afternoon like it didn’t seem lifetimes ago, saying goodbye to her mom and dad and brother just. Leaving. A kiss on the cheek is all she left them. A hug. A wave. And now they were all dead.

But she didn’t have anymore energy to shed her tears.

Cassidy dressed slowly, feeling like she was cheating at something somehow. She pulled on sweatpants and a loose t-shirt before grabbing one of her older workout bags. The black canvas bag was empty for a few moments before it was stuffed full of clothes, half folded with little to no thought. She packed the essentials, choosing then and there whether that one shirt was worth the effort or if she really wore those jeans enough to keep them. She packed her shoes in a similar duffel bag before adding anything else she would need, remembering the many strange gifts her parents had given her. She viewed her window sill, seeing lines of crystals, all different colors and sizes. She took out the bag her mother had given her and filled it with the crystals, before picking up a small leather box her father had given her. It was full of dried herbs, little bags that were tied shut, that were supposed to ‘protect her’, according to her father, and more. She placed the crystals inside, feeling a strange sort of breeze across her body for a moment. Cassidy took a deep breath, ignoring the strange feelings, and wiped away the stray tears. With care, she packed all the things her family had given her over the years into the bags. And then her whole life was packed into two duffels.

Cassidy stepped out of her room and into the hallway, walking the familiar path to her brothers room, opening it and seeing it covered in toys. If Holden loved anything it was Legos. He would build and create and he was easily very smart, always making new things and building castles and people out the tiny little blocks. She sniffled as she walked further in, observing the green room. It was such a representation of her brother. There was pirate stuff all over the room, toys everywhere, the bed unmade. He was creative and intelligent and full of energy. Holden was her everything, from the moment he was born.

Cassidy opened Holden’s closet with a numb feeling sinking into her bones. She pulled out his baby book on the top shelf and added it into her bags, knowing that several other photographs were inside some of her favorite books at the bottom of the bag. There was a pirate flag on the wall, large and beautiful and Cassidy knew she had to take it with her as well. Her hands shaking, she reached up and took the flag down, folding it gently and placing that into her bag as well. As she moved to leave the room, her breath catching in her throat, feeling closed in, the walls moving closer and it was getting harder to breath, she caught sight of Holden’s favorite stuffed bear, Mr. Wishing. Quickly, Cassidy went and grabbed it, leaving the room with harsh, shorts breathes.

As she made her way to her parents room, she observed the many pictures on the walls. With every one she stopped and considered if she should take it. Most of the time, it was a yes, and like the ones in her room, she opened the back, took out the photograph, and placed it somewhere safe before returning the frame.

With nausea returning the uneasy feeling to her stomach and lips, Cassidy opened her parent’s bedroom door. It took a lot of effort to resist the urge to puke as she walked in. The bodies were gone from the center and the room smelled heavily of bleach. It was like they didn’t even die. Cassidy moved quickly, observing the room for anything she should take. She took most of the photographs from the room, working her resilience to its limits.

Cassidy scoured the room before going over to her mother’s jewelry box and viewing the contents inside. She knew of only one family heirloom on her mother’s side, being the heather hair pin. It was filled with amethysts and diamonds, making the small bulbs of flowers. It was her great-grandmother Elizabeth’s, passed down to her grandmother Victoria, then to her mother Katherine, and now it was Cassidy’s. From what she knew, it always went with her mother whenever she left the house, and now it was Cassidy’s turn to take care of it.

With her heart heavy, aching in her chest, Cassidy moved from her mother’s affairs to her father’s. Even from an early age, Cassidy and her father had always been very close. They were best friends, always taking care of each other and forever talking. He was her everything. Taking an inventory of her father’s items, Cassidy took special care at looking at his bookcase. John loved his books, he always made sure they were neat and orderly and read them often. The names often confused her, being in Latin or Spanish or French. Cassidy knew that her father was intelligent, but seeing his expansive bookcase, she always teared up with pride. To come from such a hard childhood to being smart and well respected. He had several favorites, ones that he would read over and over again, names she didn’t understand and languages she couldn’t read. With a sad smile, Cassidy took the books, surprisingly light for their large size and managed to squeeze them into her bags. Like she did with everything, she observed each item in the room and truly asked if it was something she could live without. There was one item she found she couldn’t let it go. John’s ‘lazy’ jacket. It was a hoodie, grey and old and a little stained, but it smelled like him and it was soft and everything Cassidy remembered her dad was. Cassidy put it on over her t-shirt and it hit her mid-thigh. Her dad always was tall.

****

She walked downstairs with her bags, now containing her treasures while she wore her father’s hoodie. With every step, Cassidy thought of items she could bring with her to let her family know she would never forget them. She wanted to just pack the whole house and bring it with her, wherever she went, but that was as unrealistic as her three year old dream to become a fairy. The two men, Short and Long, were standing in the kitchen talking about something in hushed voices. Cassidy walked in, bags at her sides. The kitchen smelled like bleach and it stung at her eyes, but she couldn’t tell if that was from the tears, noticing her boxing bag moved from the floor to the counter. The tall one noticed her arrival first.

“Hey. You okay?” Cassidy nodded, knowing she was lying. It was 2:00 am now and in three hours she’d have been up for a whole day.

“Let’s leave.” She suggested. They both nodded and together they all walked outside, walking up to a black car. Shorter-One opened the trunk of the car and put the machetes away under a false bottom. He closed it and Cassidy placed her duffels inside, before going back inside the house and doing one last tour of the house, picking up last minute mementos and pictures before grabbing her gym bag, still full with her gloves and clothes and now everything else she added. Silence floated from the house as she locked the front door behind her, and she walked to the black car. She got into the back seat, boxing bag in hand, and off they went, the car rumbling softly into the night.

****

 

pt. two

“You have anyone you can go to?” Tall-One asked, breaking the silence.

“My aunt’s,” Cassidy responded automatically. “She lives right outside of town.” Aunt Beatrice wasn’t someone Cassidy ever wanted to think of but her mother always told her that if something ever happened, to go to her Aunt’s house. But if Cassidy had any say in it, she wasn’t going to be going there.

“We’ll take you in the morning,” Shorter-One said. “For now, I have a feeling we all need some sleep.” Everyone nodded at his words.

The arrival to the motel was late and narcoleptic, everyone exhausted from the five hour experience. Cassidy didn’t question the men when they opened the trunk and pulled out her duffels, not wanting to deal with them on her own. She was grateful for them tonight, helping her and comforting her and giving her a place to rest.

“I’ll take the couch,” said Tall-One as they entered the motel room. It wasn’t the best room in the world. The room was tacky with a red and gold ‘ornate’ style, the walls almost greasy. Cassidy heard of such things but seeing it for the first time almost had her puke again. There was a small kitchenette in the room, a dresser against the far wall and a small table by the heater. But Cassidy could live.

She didn’t kick off her shoes as Shorter-One put her bags on the bed she assumed was hers tonight. Cassidy just climbed onto the bed and laid down, trying to even her breathing and letting her mind drift. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, she could feel it in her bones that no matter how tired she was, her mind was going to be racing all night. Her family was dead. Monsters exist. There was far too much to think about.

It didn’t surprise her when the brothers started to talk about her. With her eyes closed, her breathing even, her whole body exhausted. The Shorter-One spoke first, his voice trying to stay low for her comfort.

“Sam,” the Tall-One’s name, that’s what it was, “we can’t take care of another kid. Not so soon after… we have to get rid of her.” There must have been a nod from the other brother, then a pregnant pause.

“We’ll take care of it Dean. She went through a lot tonight, let’s let her get some rest.” There was another tense pause, some shuffling around, when Sam broke it again. “She had to fight for her life tonight. She _did_ fight for her life and she won. Dean, she took out three vampires with a kitchen knife and no training.” He sounded impressed.

“No, nuh uh, we are not taking in another kid. We’ll take her to Jody or something.” Someone was pacing, she could hear their faint footsteps up and down the floor.

“Dean we saw Jody a week ago and she was already pulled thin. If we let her go into the world with no one to watch after her, she’ll get herself killed.”

“And what? We’ll be the ones to watch her? I’m not taking in another one Sam.” Cassidy could feel the tense air before Dean continued, “Look, all I’m saying is, maybe Jody should take a ride up and help deal with her. We know nothing about teens and helping them through this sort of thing. Jody has Alex, she should be able to help.”

Sam sighed heavily, “I’ll call her in the morning, but for now, someone’ll have to keep an eye on her. And with Cas AWOL, it’s going to have to be one of us. Meaning that either we call someone up to deal with the case or we figure something out, because this is getting crazier every minute.”

“Agreed. Now I don’t know about you but I need my four hours.”

There was silence the rest of the night, leaving Cassidy to think about what she heard and what she had been through.

****

The next morning arrived like a train, leaving Cassidy knocked flat on her ass. As she expected, she got no sleep and no idea what she was doing. Finally she decided to leave the bed around 7:00 am, hopping into the shower and going through the motions of her day. Slowly she got dressed, brushed her teeth, and was hoping to eat breakfast when she noticed that both men were still asleep. Sighing, Cassidy looked around the room, noticing a map on the wall. Getting a closer look, she noticed a dinner not to far from the motel they were staying at (The Prince Motel). With a quick decision, Cassidy took one of their wallets, Dean’s she noticed, a room key, and left, leaving a quick note about where she had gone.

The walk was therapeutic in a way that her thinking session wasn’t. Movement was always a coping method that let Cassidy feel relief and find answers. The part of town she was passing through wasn’t the safest, but considering her circumstances she doubted that if someone came at her that they would live to tell the tale. If anything positive came from the last few hours it was that Cassidy’s confidence in her abilities had skyrocketed.

The walk to the diner was comforting, it reminded her of her morning walks with Sara -- Sara! Cassidy pulled her phone out of her pocket and she turned it off airplane mode, forgetting she had turned it on last night. The iPhone lit to life with multiple calls and texts from her friend, Dave, and even some school friends. A majority of them asked her if she was okay, where she was, and some confusingly asking ‘why’. It took some digging but Cassidy started from the bottom and worked her way up the messages.

What she saw from Sara broke her heart.

_I don’t believe them. Everyone says you killed them but I know you better and you are not a murderer. If you can please call me. We can figure this out._

It clicked like a cocking gun. Everyone thought she had killed her parents. But there was no way, how could they even think she did such a thing? Oh… She left bloody clothes in her bathroom. She took a lot of items from the house. She left fingerprints everywhere. But why would she have done it? She loved her family! Cassidy shook her head, trying not to cry. Suddenly the more obscure text from Dave made sense ( _theyre wrong about you. i know it_ ). Cassidy had to actively hold back tears as she entered the diner.

With an odd sense of ease, she ordered two things of pancakes to go with two sides of bacon and then a thing of hash browns for herself (not that she’d eat them. She was far from hungry). It didn’t take long shockingly, Cassidy falling into the hole of reading through text messages and listening to voicemails. She paid and got the bags filled with food and Cassidy walked back to the motel, mourning her family, mourning her friends, and mourning her freedom. Maybe it would be better if they thought she was dead. If she was dead.

****

“Where were you?” Dean asked as Cassidy entered the room. He looked down right furious, his hands curled into balls, his voice threatening the line between loud and yelling. She held up the bags of food as an explanation and set them on the small table in the room, not wanting to speak. She placed his wallet on the table and the keycard next to it all. Not saying a word, she went and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Okay, listen pipsqueak,” Dean began, “I know that what you went through was hard, is hard, and I don’t know how it worked at your house, but you don’t just run off! We thought you were dead or taken or turned or--”

“Dean!” Sam snapped. “Not helping.” His tone softened as he turned to the teen. “Listen Cassidy, I know that this is hard, but you should have at least left a note.”

“I did leave a note.”

“What?” Dean asked. Cassidy sat up and looked at the man.

“I left a note. On the table. I said I was going to get breakfast at the diner on 4th and that it was a twenty minute walk, so I would be back around 9:00 am. I left around 7:30. It would take what, thirty minutes for the food and then forty minutes overall for the walk? So an hour and ten minutes. That doesn’t take into account the crosswalks and the wait time for those, so add maybe ten more minutes, fifteen more like, which is an hour and thirty minutes rounding up. And I’m back, it’s around 9:00 am, and I left a note. And during that walk, I found out that apparently I’m wanted for murder. So God forgive. I’m sorry for worrying you. Enjoy breakfast. I got pancakes and bacon.” Cassidy laid back down and stared at the ceiling, noting that it had a weird stain that looked like a person.

There was a sigh and ruffle of the bags being opened and looked into. “She did get pancakes and bacon. Sam, look at this, even got syrup to go!”

He was ignored as Sam sat on the edge of the bed, Cassidy feeling the bed compress under his weight. “Cassidy, what do you mean you’re wanted for murder?”

She sat up and pulled out her phone, tossing it to Sam. “It’s unlocked.”

There was a minute or so as Sam checked all the texts, some still coming in as more people were informed of the death of her family. Sam shot a look to his brother who was eating his breakfast with no hesitation.

“Dean, what happened to the bodies?” Dean finally looked up and reconnected to the conversation.

“I burned them and then took them to a forest and…” he sent an awkward look to Cassidy, who just started at him blankly, “disposed of them.”

 _'God, he’s so awkward,’_ Cassidy thought.

“Dean, everyone thinks she killed her family.” Dean choked on his bite for a moment, hitting his chest.

“What?” He asked, not believing his brother’s words.

Sam tossed Dean the phone, who looked through it for a moment before opening the laptop and spending a few minutes looking up information, if Cassidy had to guess.

“Son of a bitch,” was muttered a moment later.

Cassidy shrugged as their eyes looked at her, curious for her reaction, and fell back onto the bed, looking at the ceiling. Was the stain really a body or was her mind just tricking her?

There was heavy sigh and Sam rubbed his eyes, the motion faint on the outside of her vision. Cassidy sat for a few more moments thinking, Sam standing and whispering quietly to Dean going back and forth as she determined that the stain wasn’t a person shaped stain, the legs were too long and the head too small proportionally.

“Cassidy?” Sam asked softly, bringing Cassidy back from her thoughts. She grunted softly in acknowledgement. “Obviously a lot has gone wrong in the past twenty-four hours but we need to get you to your aunt’s house while we take care of this case, okay?” Cassidy shrugged from where she was on the bed, hands behind her head. At that point it didn’t matter to her, she was lost in thought, remembering Holden’s laugh and her mother’s smile.

“You said your aunt lives right outside of town?” She nodded, Dean picking up his keys when his phone went off. “Stark. Oh. A lead? Cassidy King, you say? Have you found the bodies? A two person job huh. Missing? How about we just come to the station and talk there. Sounds good. Bye.” Dean hung up and shot a finger at Cassidy, “Change of plans. You stay here. Sam, we have to meet the Sheriff. Let’s monkey suit up and head out. God, this case sucks.” Sam nodded, walking into the bathroom with his suit in hand. Dean waited until Sam was out before heading in. Cassidy was remembering her last hug with her father, missing his arms holding her.

“Cassidy!” Her eyes focused onto Dean, who was yelling her name, waiting for her to respond. “Jesus, kid. Been calling your name for five minutes. While we’re gone you need to follow some rules, alright?” Cassidy just stared at the man with green eyes. “I’m going to take that as a yes. First, no leaving. Second, no answering the door unless you know it’s us. Third, if anything happens, call us. Understand?” Cassidy stayed silent. Dean sighed, handing Cassidy her phone back with their numbers now added and the GPS turned off, something they knew would be tracked. He nodded to her and then left the room.

****

Twenty minutes after the brothers left, the silence thick, Cassidy unlocked the motel door, put a rock down to keep the door from shutting all the way (they took both room keys), and took a walk. She had no money, was presumed to have killed her family, and time. Lots of time.

The simplicity of walking was good for Cassidy. She could think; had time to think. Her family was obviously targeted last night. They were fresh made, Dean had said last night, they had only recently gone missing. Her family was likely the first time they had blood. That it seemed they were initiated, that her family had been chosen. Which brought her to another thought. How did she kill those vampires? She was a boxer, she had some skill. Dave had said multiple times that as soon as she was eighteen he wanted to enter her into competition. She was one of his best and Dave had trained a few champions, so the compliment meant something. But she was not a killer. Cassidy knew that if some gut instinct hadn’t have told her to go for the neck, she’d be dead but at what cost did she kill them? The brothers had told her not to feel guilty, she knew that it was pointless to do so and kept the feeling drowned in logic, but the guilt of not being fast enough for her family grew as she thought of those few hours.

There was no way Cassidy should have done what she did and live to tell the tale. She was a logical person, not someone to follow her gut instincts often, so why did she? And how did she know to go for the neck? Nothing about it made sense.

Not that it need to. Her family was dead. God, how was Cassidy going to live without them? They meant everything to her. They were her support and love and now they were gone. Should she join them? Cassidy shook her head. No, they would want her to live. They would want her happy, not depressed or silent. She needed to keep fighting, she knew that. But how? Her family was dead and she was being blamed for it. She’s not the same as she was Friday morning.

Cassidy rounded the corner leading back to the motel, her attention missing the black muscle car that slid into view in front of her, screeching into park.

“Hey squeaker! What the fuck, we told you to stay in the room! You could have gotten arrested, are you stupid?” Dean stepped out of the car and started yelling at Cassidy. He stood there and yelled at her, his face growing red and Cassidy felt something snap in her.

“Listen here motherfucker!” She started, surprising both of the men, her eyes dark with frustration. “I am not a child! I am not weak and I am certainly not sorry. I just went through the worst experience of my fucking life so don’t you _dare_ tell me that I don’t deserve some time to recover. I am not a pet that you can coop up all day, I need to move around and allow myself to think!” Dean started to open his mouth about to speak before Cassidy cut him off.

“Don’t you dare interrupt me, what were you raised in a barn? Basic manners asshole, let someone finish before you speak. I know that you think I’ll be arrested, and maybe so, but you two are supposed to be FBI agents, you can fucking think of something. Or are you so stupid you forgot that this town respects a badge? You really need to screw your head on right, you know that? You seem to be everywhere and nowhere at once. Maybe get your shit together before you lecture me. I lost my family and am technically on the run, what’s your excuse?”

Dean’s glare hardened and now he looked pissed. His face flushed and he leaned into Cassidy’s personal space, murder in his eyes. Never one to back down, Cassidy leaned right into his gaze, matching it strongly. “Now you listen little girl,” Cassidy actually growled at the insult, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was clutching her fists, “You officially have a warrant out for arrest because you murdered your family. If you keep up the lip we’ll just turn you in, you got that?” Enraged Cassidy spit in his eye and socked his jaw, pain ripping up her arm from the hit. Dean’s body twisted from the impact, a hand reaching for his face to wipe away the saliva and to feel for the pain in his jaw for some relief. Two arms encircled around Cassidy’s chest, holding her arms down as she attempted another move for Dean.

“Cassidy,” Sam’s voice said, “you need to calm down. Dean! Go take a walk.”

“She --”

“Now Dean!” Sam instructed. Dean huffed angrily and turned on his heel and walked away from the motel.

Sam let go as Cassidy calmed down, her body relaxing from trying to remove Sam’s arms from around her. “I didn’t need your help,” she spoke softly, watching Dean walk.

“I wasn’t helping. I was saving your ass.”

Cassidy turned, glaring at Sam. “I don’t care! I don’t give a flying fuck, he threatened me and he got what he damn well deserved! He’s been nothing but an asshole since I met him. If he wants to be an asshole, then I’ll be one right back and I don’t give a damn if it means I get arrested for a crime I didn’t commit, at least I’m away from him!” She turned on her heel and walked straight into the motel room, grabbing her duffle bags and workout bag and started to carry them out the door when Sam stepped in front of her and blocked the way.

“Listen Gigantor, you move or you go down. Your choice.”

Sam chuckled and crossed his arms, but didn’t move. It was an open invitation. Cassidy sighed and dropped her bags before she closed her fist and hit Sam’s side, right under his ribs, faster than he was ready for. She hit again, his stomach, trying to knock the wind out of him, and he grabbed her arm, twisting her around, pulling her close to his chest. With as much force as she could, Cassidy stomped on his foot, a satisfying release awaiting the pain that came from it. Taking her elbow, Cassidy drove it into the Winchester’s ribs where she hit him before effectively moving him from the door frame as he sidestepped to the left.

Picking up her bags, Cassidy nodded her head to Sam and started speed walking away, a good lead ahead of Sam, when a hand grabbed her upper arm. She shot around and without holding back went straight for the nose, not noticing the person behind it. She heard a small crack and a release of something wet on her hands. Pulling it back she noticed it was blood.

Her heart started racing and all Cassidy could see was blood coating her hands as she held Holden in her arms, and then with a knife in her head another head on the floor, a body soon following. She didn’t realize she had started to scream and cry, a flashback overtaking everything and the fear and adrenaline that filled her body not hours earlier.

Arms wrapped around Cassidy, fear choking her silently as she attempted to pull away and fight it but her arms were weak and her body tired. “Let me go,” Cassidy sobbed weakly, her body falling into the arms holding her. “Please, just let me go. I wanted to save you, please, I tried to save you.” Cassidy let herself fall into her sobs again, her body weak and exhausted and tired. She hadn’t slept for over a day, something Cassidy wasn’t used to, her body falling apart at the seams.

“You’ll be okay sweetheart,” a voice whispered in Cassidy’s ear, bringing her out of her terror and helping her calm down, tears streaming down her face. “You’ll be okay.” A hand started rubbing her back, familiar and comforting and for a moment Cassidy was in her father’s arms and crying after a hard day at school.

It took some time, Cassidy softly easing out of her tears and finding herself back in the motel room, Sam holding her tight to his chest. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled, “I didn’t mean to -- to break down like that. I just -- seeing the blo -- blood on my hands, I remembered last night and -- and --” Cassidy sniffled again, her voice cracking, tears prickling at her eyes. Sam shushed her and pulled her closer into his chest. “Why are you helping me? I’ve been so mean to you guys and so rude.”

Sam smiled sadly, “You just lost your whole family. You’re allowed to grieve, to be upset. It’s been a couple of hours, recovery from that can take a lifetime. Dean has been struggling with something very powerful. Just let him cool off, he’ll come back and we’ll all talk. Okay?”

Cassidy nodded her head but before she knew it she fell asleep in Sam’s arms.

****

A small shake of Cassidy’s shoulders and Cassidy sprang up, nearly knocking heads with the body over hers. “What’s going on?” She shouted, not realizing her face was wet with tears or that her voice was hoarse.

“Woah there squeaker! You were having a nightmare.” It was Dean. A couple of deep breaths in and Cassidy could feel her body shaking, her panting filling the afternoon sun-lit room.

“I don’t -- I don’t remember it. I just remember crying and… and hitting you. Oh my God, are you okay? I didn’t mean to --”

Dean placed a hand over her mouth. “Squeaker, it isn’t nothing I haven’t had to deal with before. Calm down. Sam went to get some dinner. How do you like Chinese?”

Cassidy nodded, “Chinese is fine. Are you sure you’re okay? I wasn’t holding back but I also didn’t put all my effort behind that punch.”

Dean smiled and chuckled, “If that wasn’t a lot of effort than no wonder you took down three vamps by yourself. You broke my nose,” he held up a hand to stop Cassidy’s open mouth, about to spurt apologies, “nothing that I couldn’t deal with. A quick pop back in place and it’s fine. But we need to have a talk.” Cassidy nodded.

“Squeaker, I get it. You lost a lot in a short time, your whole life, your freedom, your ignorance, but now you have to step up your game. Once you learn about this life, you don’t get out. Not really. You either start Hunting and lose your life or just lose your life. That’s the long and short of it. So you need to get your head screwed on straight. You can’t go walking off, you can’t break rules. We need to protect you and it’s going to be damn hard if you don’t listen. Our job is to protect you, to save people from what you went through, and we can’t do that if we have to babysit. You understand?” Cassidy nodded at Dean’s words. “Good. ‘Cause Sammy and I need to leave tonight. We found the vamp nest. We’ll take it out and then we’ll need to get you to someplace safe. You said you had an aunt right?” Cassidy nodded. “Then we’ll take you in the morning.” Dean turned and headed to the table where the laptop sat with several books.

“And if you die?” Cassidy asked. Dean paused, looking over his shoulder for a moment.

“Then run. Vampires don’t like to leave loose ends.” Dean sat down and left Cassidy to stare at her hands.

She wasn’t going to go quiet. She needed to do something. Help people, kill monsters. _Start Hunting and lose your life or just lose your life._

She wasn’t going to go to her Aunt Beatrice’s house.

Sam returned with Chinese boxes not long after, the smell making Cassidy’s mouth water but she couldn’t find the strength to be hungry. She still ate the food, it tasting like ash in her mouth and felt like lead in her body. The Chinese reminded her of what her mother was making for dinner when she left, never to see them -- Cassidy shut the thought down, remembering her parents would want her to move on and be happy. She had to make them proud. She wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity when she was the only one alive to carry their memories, as much as it hurt. Her heart was constantly aching.

Dinner was a quiet affair, only small comments were made, usually from Sam. Sam left Cassidy with a burner phone (“A flip phone? Really?”) with their numbers and strict orders to only answer the door and either the burner phone or her own phone if it was them calling. Conversations were awkward but Cassidy tried to make some sort of talk with Sam as Dean was practically ignoring her and she, him. They were gone when the clock read midnight.

****

The night grew long, time moving sluggishly as Cassidy waited for her rescuers return. She’d been patient, trying to think about the brothers rather than think about her brother, about their life. How many monsters really exist? What sort of people Hunted? How did monsters come to be? Why her family? The world before the Winchesters made sense. It had its flaws and complications but it was factual and true. But with the addition of the supernatural, everything got turned on its head. How many times had she encountered a monster? If monsters were right under everyone’s noses, how many were functional? Vampires don’t have to drink from people, everyone knows that, so how many worked in hospitals? Stealing blood bags or covering up a little bit of blood loss? How many were vets? Vampires only get caught by Hunters by killing, or stealing people, which left the question of how many missing people were stolen by vampires? How many got turned?

Pacing back and forth, thinking of the logistics of vampires eased Cassidy into her problem solving mind set, allowing time to pass quicker until it was 1:00 am and the door handle to the motel room jiggled. Stopping short, Cassidy pulled out her burner phone and dialed Sam’s number, listening for it from the other side of the door. Not hearing the brother’s conversing or the phone go off, Cassidy pulled the phone up to her ear finally, hearing Sam’s voice.

“ _Cassidy? Are you okay?_ ”

“Sam, someone’s trying to get into the room and obviously it’s not you. I have no weapons and no idea when they’ll get in. I won’t hang up so just --” The door burst open in a shell of splinters and growls. Cassidy tossed the phone to the bed and hunkered down, glaring at the man in front of her.

“So you’re the King girl… Thought you’d be… different.” The man sneered, a half smile on his face. Cassidy said nothing, trying to think of a way out of the situation. There were two men, vampires no doubt, who just made a lot of noise at one in the morning. The room had no immediate neighbors, so screaming might help as Cassidy was not strong enough to fight, not really. Her body was suffering from not eating, not drinking, and exhaustion, not to mention the two men were _vampires_. She was either going to die or live, but either way she was going to go down swinging if it came to it. The two men blocked the doorway, so she can’t go out that way. The bathroom had a window but it was small, too small for her to climb through it. So it was fight and win or fight and die.

Cassidy rushed them, screaming a battle cry.

****

Dean pulled into the motel parking lot as fast as he could. That night had been a bust, they went to nest house, or what they thought was the nest house, but it was empty, no sign of vampires anywhere. Distraught, the men were talking about their options by the Impala when Sam’s phone rang. It had been Cassidy, the impudent little girl they rescued, and she was in trouble. They raced off in the car and had made a twenty minute trip in five.

They pulled into their parking space and ran out the car as fast as they could, machetes in hand. The door was busted in, blood on the ground, and Dean knew that they had taken the teen. But he checked the bathroom anyways, noticing it had no signs of struggle.

“Clear,” he called. “She obviously tried to fight. No sign of struggle in the bathroom. You find anything?”

Sam was checking over the room, holding something in his hand. “Her burner, but that’s the only thing. All bags are here, the only things broken are the dresser and the chair. There’s blood several places but nothing life threatening. Dean we have to find her!”

Dean nodded, collecting their bags and necessary items before loading them into the car, unceremoniously checking out of the motel. They had one other choice for the vamp nest and that’s where they were headed.

****

Waking up was a grievous occasion for Cassidy Marie King. Her head was pounding in her skull, a drum beat that her brain and heart were dancing too. She groaned and pulled her hands up to rub at her temples, something to help with the pain, but found that they wouldn’t move. She tried again, feeling something coarse rubbing against her wrists. With some effort, Cassidy opened her eyes, finding herself in a damp, dark kitchen, littered with blood. The fight she endured flickered behind her eyes, being thrown into the dresser, picking up a chair and breaking it over on of the vampire’s head. The pain of being knocked out. Her body ached at the memory. She had no idea where they were, but it looked like it was still night, so it was maybe two in the morning? It was summer so the sun should be rising in mere hours. At least, she hoped.

God she wished Sam and Dean would hurry.

Footsteps sounded and Cassidy tried to even her breath as she closed her eyes and let her head drop. _Just stay unconscious. Don’t notice me._ But it was of no avail when she heard a female voice talking to her.

“Oh just get up. I heard your breathing change, no need to try and convince me otherwise. Though you do a good job pretending.”

Cassidy lifted her eyes to see a tall woman in a leather jacket, arms crossed and a frown on her face. She was intimidating, especially since Cassidy knew that she was a vampire, but Cassidy kept her heart rate steady, keeping her eyes locked with the vampire’s black eyes. Her dark skin blended into the dark background of the house, the moonless night providing no lighting.

“So,” she leaned down in front of Cassidy who could feel her heartbeat hiccup for a moment, “you’re the bitch that killed my family. I heard rumors of your family training Hunters, but the fact that you were the only living King now… Guess the rumors were right.”

Cassidy narrowed her eyes, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My parents were as normal as normal could be.” Her mom was a stay at home mom, but she occasionally went to house sit or pet sit for friends. Her dad was a traveling businessman, him working in IT, always on a computer doing stuff that she couldn’t understand.

The vampire scoffed, “Yeah right. Your daddy has been tracking us for years. Those ‘business trips’ of his were a cover. Tell me, has he ever come home with weird scars or bruises? Because I can assure you, I’ve given him many. And I’m about to do the same to you.” She lifted her hand.

Cassidy closed her eyes waiting for something to happen but all there was was the sound of something sliding in the air, the feel of something wet hitting her in the face, and something hitting with a _thump_ on the ground. Cassidy took a hopeful peek and saw a leather clad body on the ground, beheaded. Cassidy looked up to see Dean in front of her and she had never been so happy to see the surly Winchester. She nodded to him, breathing a bit heavy. He returned it before shouting for his brother, who raced in.

“Cassidy!” He raced beside her and cut her restraints, helping her stand.

“Sam… I’m sorry, I tried to get out, to run, but I couldn’t, they were too strong.”

He pulled her close, “I know. It’s okay, you did good.” She took a deep breath, smelling cinnamon and something oddly metallic, but she found comfort in it. She pulled away and gave Dean a hug too, smelling the metal on him and honey. Surprised, Dean just gave her a pat on the back before she pulled away and gave him a smile. He returned it.

“Can --” Cassidy started, “can I borrow a knife?”

Sam shot her one of the most confused faces she had ever seen. “What? Why?”

She shuffled, “You’ll see.” Sam looked to Dean, who nodded, and handed her his knife. She knelt next to the vampires head and opened her mouth, _ew_ , and took a few seconds to carve out a fang from her gums. She stood and handed Sam his knife back, pocketing the fang. “She’s the reason my family is dead. I was owed a trophy,” she explained. the men shared a look and nodded.

“Come on,” Sam said, “let’s get out of here.” Cassidy nodded and with surprising ease, the brothers navigated through the house, which had several dead vampires in it. Not noticing where she was going, Cassidy tripped over something, a rug, and landed face to face with a body.

“Oh my God,” Cassidy whispered. She leant away from the body, getting a full view of the it, beheaded like the rest. “Josh.” The long nose, brown hair, he was the same boy she had met, God, two days ago. “No, no, no.” She turned to the men with a frantic look in her eye. “Please tell me a blonde, a girl, taller than me, short hair, blue eyes, she wasn’t here was she?” Dean shook his head.

“These were all of them.” Sam said.

“You know him?” Dean asked. Cassidy nodded, standing up, panting lightly in fear.

“He’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Or he was. If he hurt her…” Cassidy looked at Sam, “Do you have my burner? They broke my phone.” Or at least, it wasn’t on her. He nodded, reaching into his pocket and handed it to her. She took a deep breath before entering the number into the phone, surprised she memorized it.

“ _Hello?_ ” There was a sniffle, Sara obviously crying on the other end.

“Sara? Are you okay?”

“ _Cassidy! Oh my God,_ ” the sobbing got louder, “ _I thought you were dead or kidnapped or -- or. Where are you? Are you okay?_ ”

Cassidy gave a tight smile, missing her friend. “I’m fine. I… I need to know if you’re okay.”

“ _I’m fine! Oh God, Cassidy, everyone thinks you killed your family. You disappeared off the face of the Earth the night your family is found dead and then Josh goes missing. I can’t -- I just can’t Cassidy. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up, I’ll help you. No one will ever know._ ”

Cassidy could feel tears slip down her face. Sara was always a ride-or-die. “I didn’t kill them. I… I can’t tell you where I am, but I’m fine. I promise, okay? If you ever need me, just call this number. If it changes, I’ll text you the new one. I love you so much.”

“ _I love you too. Stay safe._ ”

“Stay safe.”

Cassidy hung up. With a blank look, she nodded to the brothers and they all continued on.

****

The car’s hum was comforting as they drove the hour to Cassidy’s Aunt Beatrice. After some time stitching up some of her worse wounds and bandaging the rest, they had got into the car, everyone agreeing to take a quick nap before heading out around 4:00 am. The anxiety that always came with the thought of Aunt Beatrice rose in Cassidy’s throat as they inched closer to the hag’s hovel. Beatrice was Katherine’s sister, mean and angry and malicious. She was forty-two, six years older than Cassidy’s mother, but she looked in her sixties with greying hair, wrinkles galore, and scars covering more skin then skin itself. Cassidy had always assumed she had been in a bad car accident or something similar, but the knowledge that apparently her family were Hunters made her wonder otherwise.

“Do you know any Hunters named King?” She broke the silence in the car.

Sam shook his head, “No. Why do you ask?”

Cassidy ignored his question. “How about Eisel? E-I-S-E-L?”

Sam paused for a moment, looking at Dean. “It sounds familiar actually. Didn’t Dad talk about a Victoria Eisel in his journal once?”

Cassidy wanted to hit something and scream. “Fuck!” She shouted, “FUCK!” Cassidy ran her hands through her hair, angry tears slipping out of her eyes.

“What?” Sam asked, concerned.

Cassidy held back a bitter laugh. “That’s my grandmother’s name. That bitch told me that my family were Hunters. My dad had been tracking the nest for years and now… Why didn’t I fucking see it! How could I be so stupid!”

“Hey!” Dean shouted, looking in the rearview. “Calm down! Now last I checked, before yesterday, you had no idea the supernatural existed. Considering that was 70% of what the secret was, I would be surprised if you did find it out. Don’t blame it on yourself. Hunters know what they get into.” Cassidy felt herself left a sob slip, as hard as she had been holding them back. The rest of the drive was quieter than a grave.

It was 5:00 am when they pulled into the driveway. Cassidy stepped out of the car and was surprised to find Aunt Beatrice standing on her stoop, waiting. With a hardened resolve, Cassidy walked forward, meeting Aunt Beatrice with a hard glare.

“What killed them?” She asked, shocking Cassidy though she didn’t let it show.

“Vampires.” Cassidy hissed out. “You knew. Was I the only one that didn’t in this family?!”

Beatrice sent a hard glare, “You raise your voice again and I’ll show you what else I know!” The threat in her voice was obvious, so Cassidy backed down. “Yes, we were Hunters. Your mother and I used to be a team, and a good one too. Our mother, your grandmother Victoria, taught us everything we needed to know. Raised in the life, we were all each other had. Until we partnered up with a young Hunter named John King. They got along well, and we all Hunted together ever since. While we were on a Hunt, chasing some ghouls, I was attacked. But Kathy’s boyfriend at the time, your father, was attacked too. She went after him and I was put into the hospital for half a year recovering. She was my sister and she abandoned me for that… that man! I tried my best to get over it but she never even said she was sorry. I can’t forgive something no one wants to apologize for, so I left. I started Hunting on my own, but one wrong move and I couldn’t use my leg for years. So I dropped out entirely. Your mother married your father, didn’t even invite me to the wedding, and had you. Then had your brother. Never stopped Hunting, either of them, and it caught up. Can’t say it surprised me, but hearing you were alive and had apparently killed them… That shocked me. So I’ve waited. And here you are.”

Cassidy felt a hand on her shoulder. “So instead of searching for your niece, who you knew was going through Hell, you waited for her? You didn’t go and pick her up and explain everything?” Dean spat out, shocking the teen.

Beatrice’s glare could have killed the Winchester. “She was on the run, no known phone number, not in police custody. For all I knew she was dead. If she was going to arrive, she would have in her own time. I can’t search for someone who doesn’t want to be found.”

“That seems to be your philosophy, doesn’t it? Don’t do anything, wait for it to come to you.” Sam said on the other side of Cassidy.

“Yes. It is. And since I’ve never seen you before and my niece seems to be… _oddly_ comfortable with you, I’m going to have to ask you who you are.”

“Dean Winchester. This is my brother Sam.”

Beatrice tsked. “So you’re the men that have almost ended the world… what, three times now? Oh don’t look so surprised, I may be out but I keep up. A Leviathan almost killed me a few years ago, wanted to buy my house. I’m just lucky I know informants that told me how to deal with them.”

Cassidy shot a look at the brothers, “Leviathans?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Beatrice said. “Get your bags, come inside. You need to learn and be taught our traditions and how to Hunt.”

Cassidy glared at her aunt. “And why should I come with you? You left the family! The last time you came to any family gatherings I was five! I have a better chance being on my own than learning from you.”

Beatrice snarled at the teen, “You will listen to me young lady! I know a lot more than you think I do. Learning on your own is the quickest way to die, and I would know that too, having watched it happen so many times! You get your bags and get inside this house right now.”

“NO!” Cassidy shouted, surprising them all, fire in her eyes. “I’m tired of people keeping secrets and lies from me. My mother, my father, you… It seems my whole world is crashing down around me and I’m tired of it! I refuse to be bossed around like a child.”

“Then stop acting like one!” Beatrice returned, just as sharp. “I’m giving you one last chance little girl.”

Cassidy opened her mouth to refuse, when Sam’s heavy hand was placed on her left shoulder. “Cassidy, you should stay.”

Shock spilled out. “What?”

“You should stay. She’s family and she can teach you all you want to know. About your family, monsters, Hunting. And you can’t come with us. Our life… It’s about ten times worse than the average Hunter’s. So stay. Learn. Then, when you’re ready, call us.”

Cassidy weightlessly nodded. There were a few moments before she moved to the car. Dean walked with her and used his keys to unlock the trunk of the black muscle car. He gave her a pat on Cassidy’s shoulder before Sam called him away to talk with Beatrice. If a rage of fury Cassidy grabbed her bags and ran as fast as she could into the forest surrounding the house. Shouts of her name followed her as she hid, her head start just enough to hide. She could see the men’s legs run past her, shouting her name in worry. Beatrice followed soon after, a shotgun in her hand, just surveying the woods before walking further in. Cassidy released her breath and waited a minute more before she began her trek back to the house and climbed into the back seat of the car, grateful it was unlocked, hiding as much as she could. After hours of waiting, she fell asleep.

****

Cassidy awoke for the fifth time in the bottom of the car, her eyes opening as she listened for anything indicating they heard her. It had been hours since the Winchesters left Aunt Beatrice’s home. They searched for hours but came up empty handed, not realizing she was right under their nose the whole time. The thought left a proud feeling in her gut.

It was quiet for the most part, the roar of the engine surprisingly calming, along with the motion of the car. There was faint music coming from the stereo, as well as the pitter-patter of rain. The street lights were passing, strobing by, until the silence was broken.

“Dean, maybe we should have stayed longer.” It was Sam.

“And do what? We searched for hours. She’s gone.”

“Yeah, maybe.” He sounded a little unconvinced. “Her whole life got twisted upside down in three days. She was put through Hell. Without anyone watching out for her, she’ll go off Hunting and she’ll get hurt. We’ve seen this happen before.”

****

Dean let out a sigh, his eyes on the road. “And if we did find her? Sammy, we can’t take care of a kid. Her aunt, she was a scary son of a bitch, but she’s a trained Hunter, and if the kid decides to go back, she’ll learn the right way.”

Sam sighed himself. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I don’t know, I feel bad for just leaving her.”

Dean turned to look at his little brother. “Sam, we can’t save everyone. You know that.”

A voice popped up from behind them. “You’re right. You can’t save everyone.”

The car stopped with a screech of tires and Sam turning around quickly.

“How long have you been back there!” Dean yelled.

“Not long after I ran. I hid in the woods and watched you all pass me, so then I turned back and hid here. Smart, right?” Cassidy smiled at the two brothers, both looking unimpressed. She quickly quelled it. “Kinda too late to turn back now. Especially since you said about an hour ago that you two were close to home. So, since we’re almost there, might as well keep going.”

“Woah, nuh uh, pipsqueak. You are going home.” Dean spoke angrily.

“Oh yeah? And where’s home? My empty house with no one in it? My aunt’s house, who is a complete bitch? I have no one and nothing. Might as well spend the rest of my time with you two giants, learning to Hunt and save others.”

Sam looked at Cassidy with wide eyes, “No way. No, you are not Hunting. You are fifteen and should be in school. You have a future, you can still be--” Cassidy cuts him off with a scowl and a roll of the eyes.

“Oh shut up. The more you talk the more I want to jump out of my skin. I need to do something. Save people. Killing those vampires felt… Right. Okay? So jump off my bones. I was meant to be a Hunter. Somethings are destined, right? Well, you can’t say that being able to kill several vampires with no real training is supposed to happen. Not to mention that my parents were Hunters too, so just deal with it. I’m coming with and if you don’t like it, fine. I’ll go find Hunts on my own.”

Dean shot a look to Sam who shared the same exasperated look. Sam sighed loudly and frustrated beyond belief, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she’s right Dean. Let’s take her to the bunker and get situated there. We can discuss all of this in the morning.”

The car started again with a rumble. “I can’t fucking believe we’re doing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a work of fiction. I do not own the Supernatural Franchise or any other mentioned businesses/companies. I own all of my own original characters, [including (but not limited too) Cassidy King, Delilah Grace, Joan Knight, and Ellie] and plotlines. Any use of my characters or plotlines is unlawful and considered plagiarism unless you have written agreement to use such characters or plotlines. If there is no evidence of an agreement, you will be asked to remove your stolen property and to be considered an enemy of the author.


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